Mayor: Policy bars San Jose from passing Israel-hamas resolution
With local elected officials across the Bay Area debating whether to weigh in on the Israel-hamas conflict, it appears the largest city in Northern California apparently is prohibited from doing so even as residents call for its councilmembers to take a stand.
A bylaw restricts the San Jose City Council from passing resolutions related to foreign policy matters, a rule that Mayor Matt Mahan pointed to when asked Dec. 6 whether he would support any legislative action related to the conflict.
The rule states the council “shall not act or take a position” on “matters concerning the foreign policy of the United States of America nor its relationship to other countries of the world,” the document states. The policy, which created guidelines on the passage of resolutions by the council and first was passed in 1979 and updated in 2016, allows for an exception if a federal official requests the city take a position.
`This is our moment'
“Our world is full of violence, pain and sorrow — this is our moment to show the rest of the world that we can come together, respect each other and learn from each other,” Mahan wrote in a statement.
The City Council's policy likely will anger those calling for the South Bay city to take a stand on the conflict. During public comment at Dec. 5's council meeting, over 100 people urged San Jose's elected officials to pass a resolution, with many calling for a cease-fire.
“I do urge you all to put the cease-fire resolution on the agenda for our next meeting,” said San Jose resident Dr. Yusra Hussain. “This is really (of) paramount importance.”
Councilmember Dev Davis declined to comment and the rest of San Jose's councilmembers did not respond to a request for comment on whether they would support a resolution.
“To say we can't advocate for a cease-fire because a resolution is not an option is devoid of the creativity that is necessary for people of moral courage when U.S. tax dollars are funding a genocide,” said Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-islamic Relations' San Francisco Bay Area office. “This is not an either/or issue. It is an and.”
Last year, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo voted with the United States Conference of Mayors in passing a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city also was urged to cut ties with its sister city in Russia, Ekaterinburg, but chose to send a letter to its leaders instead, expressing concern about the conflict. A spokesperson for Mayor Mahan said Liccardo's actions fall in line with existing city policy since the council itself did not pass a resolution about the Russia-ukraine war.
Omar Khoury, a 25-year-old organizer with Silicon Valley for Palestine, called the San Jose council's actions “disappointing” and said a resolution would be a direct reflection of how his community is feeling.
“It's so important for San Jose's City Council to pass this resolution because it is an issue directly impacting their constituents,” Khoury said in an interview. “Hundreds of Palestinians in San Jose have had countless numbers of their families massacred. This is the most pressing issue politically today … The silence shows that the City Council is not interested in the plight of its Muslim constituents.”
Other San Jose residents felt differently during Dec. 5's public comment period.
“Calls for a cease-fire at this point are not true wishes for peace, but they are wishes for an eventual Hamas victory” said a man who identified himself as Goldie. “Should this council choose to pronounce in favor of the terrorist's side in this war, it will divide the community.”
Similar concerns voiced in San Francisco, Oakland
The pressure from San Jose residents comes as San Francisco encountered a long night of public comment Dec. 5 after Supervisor Dean Preston, a Jewish elected official, pressed his colleagues to support a cease-fire resolution. The supervisors haven't voted on it yet.
In Oakland, councilmembers unanimously passed a ceasefire resolution in late November. This week, the Oakland Unified School District pushed back on what it believes is an “unsanctioned” teach-in Dec. 6 that aims to highlight the “Palestinian struggle for liberation.” The teach-in featured a 12-page lesson plan for ages 4-18. The school district's superintendent, Dr. Kyla Johnsontrammell, described the lesson — put together by Oakland educators — as “harmful and divisive materials.”
Since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Jewish state has engaged in an all-out offensive against Hamas — the U.s.-designated terrorist organization that runs Gaza — though concerns have grown over the number of civilian deaths in the conflict. Israel more recently focused its military campaign on the southern end of the 25mile strip of land, calling the attention of the United Nations secretary-general, who is warning of a “humanitarian catastrophe” if a cease-fire isn't reached.